Sydney’s Pyrmont Station upgrade ahead, scoping report filed

Artists impression of the planned Pyrmont station

The NSW government is advancing development plans for a tower above the planned metro station in Sydney’s inner-city Pyrmont.

The 33-storey building above the station will be mainly luxury apartments, with some commercial and retail in a planned podium. The site is bound by Union St, Edward St, and Pyrmont Bridge Rd. The scoping report for the project says the tower “could provide a range of uses, such as community facilities, homes, shops, restaurants, and … ­office space”.

Pyrmont station will be made up of two land parcels; 37-69 Union St, Pyrmont, and 26-32 Pyrmont Bridge Road, Pyrmont, known as the eastern and western sites, respectively. The plans are for the eastern site.

The podium building will be used for commercial space and residential accommodation, specifically for lobbies, storage, and parking areas, while the tower, which will rise 110m, will be used for residences only.

The Star last year warned that building the metro station on land which the company owned would put its own plans for a $140m tower near the casino in jeopardy. At the time the gambling company said the $1bn Star masterplan, which would see new hotels and dining and entertainment precincts developed, could be at risk.

A planning review of The Star’s proposed mixed-use tower, with a hotel and residential apartments, at the metro east site was not supported by the NSW government “as it did not contemplate integration with a future metro station and was likely to result in overshadowing of public open space and nearby residences”.

While the casino was not able to progress this plan, it is well on the way with a separate, more streamlined proposal, rather than developing two projects.

In July this year the NSW government paved the way for The Star to build a new 105m, six-star hotel, new theatre and rooftop dining and event space at the casino site on Pyrmont St.

It is still in the early ­stages of development and a date has yet to be set for its official opening.

Earlier plans for the site which were submitted to the state’s independent planning authority were rejected in 2019, when The Star had proposed a $530m, 66-storey casino tower.

Up to $260m has been put aside by the state government for the Pyrmont Peninsula to help fund the new metro station and its surrounding infrastructure. The metro upgrade falls under the Pyrmont Peninsula Place Strategy, a larger 20-year framework identifying areas ripe for future growth, finalised in 2020.

Planning extends into Darling Island, Blackwattle Bay, Tumbalong Park and Ultimo sub-precincts, as well as Pirrama, Pyrmont Village and Wentworth Park sub-precincts.

Sydney Metro has also made a provision for over or adjacent station developments at Westmead, Parramatta, Sydney Olympic Park, Burwood North, The Bays, Pyrmont, and Hunter St in Sydney’s CBD.